


No more fighting on January 24th

by twistedforce



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Vampire Hunt, birthday celebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedforce/pseuds/twistedforce
Summary: As you're setting out on a hunt with Sam, Dean and Cas, you find out it's Dean Winchester's birthday. Confused as to why he doesn't seem to care, you decide to change his mind and show him there are people who care about him.
Kudos: 4





	No more fighting on January 24th

You were leaning on the back seat of the Impala when a thought crossed your mind. You sat up, shifting forward, resting your arms on the back of the front row, right between Sam and Dean. Dean was driving, as always, and you‘d just set off on the drive to a new case. It would be a few hours until you arrived at the vampire’s lair but you didn’t mind. The back seat of the Impala had become a place you were incredibly comfortable with. Cas, in the seat next to you, raised a brow. Ever since you’d arrived, since you’d become a part of their little family, there was actually someone who talked during these excruciatingly long drives. 

„Hey, it just occurred to me that I don’t know when any of your birthdays are“, you said curiously. “How come we’ve never talked about that?”

“Oh no”, Dean groaned. “Not this again.” 

“Huh? Did I miss something?” Confusion spread across your face. Dean seemed frustrated. You were good at picking up his moods but you could never tell what they meant.

“No. Nothing”, he said, his tone final. He turned up the music, classic rock blasting through the Impala at an insufferable volume. 

You weren’t going to give up this easily. Of course you wouldn’t get answers from Dean straight away, you never did. As much as you could tell his emotions, as little did he tell you about them - did he tell anyone about them. You reached over the front row, straining to grasp the volume switch. Sam came to your aid and turned it down for you. You thanked him with a smile. 

“What are you so grumpy about?”, you asked.

No response. Fine. You rolled your eyes and tried the next best thing.

“Sam, what is he so grumpy about?”

Sam sighed. “My birthday is May 22nd. Cas doesn’t have one, as I’m sure you’ve figured. And Dean’s birthday – Dean’s birthday is today.” 

“What? You’re kidding, right?”, you asked incredulously. It was Dean’s birthday and you were setting out to kill vampires instead of doing something nice. Why had no one mentioned it was his birthday today? Bewildered, you straightened, leaning back once again and staring at Dean in the rearview mirror. “Why didn’t you say? I could’ve made you a cake or something!” 

“When was I supposed to say, hm?” Dean spat. “There are vampires killing children, but oh hey, it’s my birthday, definitely more important, please make me a rice krispie treat?”

“You know that’s not what I meant, Dean”, you tried to ease the tension. “I just meant you could at least have mentioned it so I could wish you a happy birthday.” 

Dean stared back at you in the mirror. Something about this had really pissed him off. Whatever it was, you didn’t want this to turn into a fight. You turned to Cas instead, who’d been quiet throughout the entire exchange, observant and probably judging. 

“Did you know about this?”

Cas shrugged apologetically. You wondered if they’d kept this from you for a reason or if this was just another thing the Winchesters, or Team Free Will as they liked to call themselves, simply didn’t talk about. 

“Listen, can we just give it up and slice up some vampires today? No more birthday talk”, Dean stated. He turned up the volume once more, and this time, you didn’t try to stop him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

None of you had talked for the rest of the drive. You’d only wanted to be nice and now the mood was ruined. Well, a little steam could never hurt when out on a hunt, you supposed. But still, this was bugging you and you wanted to make it right. 

When you got out of the Impala, the music finally stopping, it was obvious you wouldn’t be teaming up with Dean today. You took the machete out of your bag and shouldered it, weapon at the ready. Cas joined your side, naturally splitting the group into two. 

Ready to take down the nest, you got into fighting stance. Dean rolled his neck. “Let’s kill these sons of bitches”, he declared, your signal to get moving. 

You and Cas decided to go around the back, another thing that you’d gotten accustomed to. You always liked pairing up with Dean, knowing that you’d be safe by a Winchester’s side, but having an angel fight next to you was a concept you’d probably never truly grasp. It was exhilarating. 

“So what was that all about?”, you tried to get an answer from Cas. He’d been around longer and somehow seemed to understand Dean best, better even than his own brother. “I wasn’t trying to offend anyone, I just- it was just a question.”

Carefully approaching the barn’s back door you were supposed to watch, Cas regarded you with a tired smile. “I don’t think he likes his birthday. We’ve never celebrated it and that’s never been an issue … until now, I suppose.”

“Really? That’s kinda sad. Everyone deserves a birthday.” 

“I don’t have one. I don’t mind”, Cas stated.

“Yeah, but there’s a difference between not having something and not caring for it and having something and deliberately not caring for it. He chose to ignore it, you know?”, you argued. 

“Well, it’s best if you ask him about that himself”, Cas shrugged.

It began to dawn on you that that was probably your only choice. Still, you had another question.

“And what about gifts? Did you get him anything, at least?” 

Cas thought for a moment. “No. I don’t know much about gifts. But Dean told me you keep them.”

It made you chuckle. “Yes, you do. If someone gifts you something … it means they like you. That they appreciate you.” You crouched down to inspect a possible trail, rubbing some dirt between your fingers and frowning up at Cas. “And I’d like him to know we appreciate him. Even if he doesn’t seem to think so.” 

Cas, still watching the door, huffed. “You should think about presents later. Our culprit just went out the back. Come on.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catching the vampires hadn’t been an easy task but there were four of you working as a team, which easily made up for the six bloodsuckers. Still, the fight had been exhausting and all of you looked as though you’d been dragged through the mud, covered in dirt and blood that was only partially your own.   
Tired, you got back into the Impala. You’d lost your machete. Well, actually, one of those damn vampires had literally broken it into two pieces, forcing you to rely on the others to end that nightmare of a fight. But this gave you an excuse, an opportunity you hadn’t expected. 

“Hey Dean, would you please let me out at the next crossing?”, you asked when you drove through the nearest town to the Bunker. “I’ll stock up on some weapons. Get myself a new machete.” You were still annoyed that monster had destroyed yours. “I’ll walk the rest.” 

Dean frowned but didn’t protest. “Just make sure you don’t walk into the store looking like that”, Sam chimed in and turned around slightly to point at your dirty flannel. 

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” You took off your flannel and wiped your face with it. Dean stopped to let you out. “There’s a spare jacket in the trunk. No need to freeze your ass off”, he said. 

“Thanks”, you smiled. Maybe he wasn’t mad at you after all.

Getting around the car and putting on the jacket that was definitely too big for you but smelled like the place you now called home, you considered where to shop first.   
As your friends drove off, you decided to hit the movie store first, grab groceries next and finally, take care of getting a new weapon. You enjoyed buying his gifts, even though you hadn’t known Dean for a long time. Somehow, though he was closed off, he’d become a friend to you, maybe even the big brother you always wanted. You smiled down at your acquisitions and knew they’d made him smile, birthday or not.

When you got back to the bunker it was dark outside already. The evening gloom sent a shiver down your spine and you were glad you had a warm home to come back to. Dean was hiding in his room, as Sam told you when you’d descended the steps of the Bunker entrance and laid down your bags. Perfect. You told Sam to grab Cas as you unpacked – you put the weapons bag aside for now, there would be no more fighting on January 24th, you decided – and hurried to get everything ready. 

Sam returned with Cas, both of them looking at you in united confusion. You grinned. You’d spread rice krispie treat bars around the table – he’d mentioned those earlier so they were the first thing you’d grabbed – and now handed birthday hats to your friends. Maybe it was dumb and maybe Dean would hate it, but you’d have to try. 

“Wait here! And take care of those decorations!”, you instructed. Sam seemed to be holding back a laugh. You disappeared down the hallway. When you knocked on Dean’s door, there was no response. Carefully, you opened it to find Dean blasting music through his headphones. He seemed to do that when he was trying to escape. He noticed you and removed them, scowling.

“What do you want?”, he questioned. 

“To check in on you”, you said softly. “I don’t know what happened and I don’t mean to push, but nobody deserves to spend their birthday like this. Like it or not, I’ve got something for you.” 

The tension in his body eased. He allowed himself to smile. “Thanks. I’ve just never had a real birthday, you know? Not since I was, what, four? I’ve always been on a hunt, chasing my dad, worrying about Sam, or stuck in a motel room. It’s stupid to start now.”

You smiled sadly. “Whoever made you feel like that needs to be punched in the gut. It’s never too late to start good traditions. You always carry everyone’s burden … let us celebrate you, just for a day, okay? You deserve to enjoy yourself and you deserve a birthday, Dean Winchester.” 

He laughed nervously, apparently not believing it. But at least he wasn’t angry anymore. You gestured him to follow you outside. 

When you got to the main hall, it looked like an entirely different place. Sam and Cas had put up the garlands, just like you’d told them to.

Reaching into your bag, you searched for your own birthday hat and also handed one to Dean. Hesitantly, he put it on, but then he couldn’t hold himself back anymore, starting to grin from ear to ear. Relieved this was working, you handed over your present to him. “Like Cas said – you keep this.”

“No way!”, Dean exclaimed, taking the box from your hands. “The complete collection of All Saint’s Day movies? This is awesome!”

“I’m not even going to pretend I know what ‘Time to slice and dice’ means”, you said. “But happy birthday, Dean.” 

Incredulous, Dean looked at each of you. “Thank you. Really. I mean, I hate you for making me wear this stupid hat but … I appreciate you.” 

“We appreciate you, too”, Cas confirmed. 

Dean stepped closer and pulled you into a hug, also inviting Cas and Sam to join. You nearly couldn’t breathe, being squished between all of them, but it was worth it. Maybe Dean Winchester hated his birthday a little less now. 

No more fighting on January 24th, you thought before digging into a disgustingly sweet rice krispie treat.


End file.
